The Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park ( no, Kristiansand Dyrepark) is a

zoological garden A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zool ...

and

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

situated in of Kristiansand, Norway. It is Norway's most frequently visited attraction, covering an area of . Established in 1966, it has been owned by Braganza since 2004. The Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park has Norway's largest collection of animals. It consists of over a hundred species of animals from around the world, that move freely on a relatively large area. Amusement attractions include Cardamom Town ( no, Kardemomme by), which is made to look like the town in the book by Thorbjørn Egner, and

Captain Sabertooth Captain Sabertooth (in Norwegian: Kaptein Sabeltann) is a long running series that centers around the eponymous pirate Captain Sabertooth, who was created and was originally portrayed by the Norwegian singer, composer, author and actor Terje Form ...

and pirate village Abra Havn (Abra Harbor), which is taken from a theatre act by the singer and actor

Terje Formoe Terje Falk Formoe (born 6 December 1949) is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, actor, playwright and author. Background Born in Fredrikstad, Norway, he was educated as a schoolteacher. In the 1970s, he began making records of his music. He current ...

History

The operating company was listed on the

Oslo Stock Exchange Oslo Stock Exchange ( no, Oslo Børs) (OSE: OSLO) is a stock exchange within the Nordic countries and offers Norway’s only regulated markets for securities trading today. The stock exchange offers a full product range including equities, deriv ...

in 1993. Ludv. G. Braathens Rederi became a partial owner in 1996. Its successor company Braganza gradually bought up shares until reaching a forty-percent stake in 2004. That year it made a successful deal to buy the entire company and the company was subsequently delisted.

The zoo

The zoo department of the park contains animals from different climate conditions, from all over the world. There are built own houses for animals that are sensitive to cold weather. Animals from the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...

are located in a separate department. The collection of animals in the park is the largest in Norway and the animals have relatively large spaces to move around.

Animals

* Nordic wilderness - Nordic animals like wolves, wolverines, Arctic foxes,

lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, Ontar ...

es and mooses. *

Tropic The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

al department - Amphibian house with

snakes Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joi ...

, crocodiles and more. + The

chimpanzee The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...

Julius The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the ...

and many other

monkeys Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...

in the trees, also on the outside. * Africa - African savannah, including giraffes, zebras, lions, cheetahs and other African animals. * Asia -

Siberian tigers The Siberian tiger or Amur tiger is a population of the tiger subspecies ''Panthera tigris tigris'' native to the Russian Far East, Northeast China and possibly North Korea. It once ranged throughout the Korean Peninsula, but currently inhabi ...

as well as orangutans,

gibbons Gibbons may refer to: * The plural of gibbon, an ape in the family Hylobatidae * Gibbons (surname) * Gibbons, Alberta * Gibbons (automobile), a British light car of the 1920s * Gibbons P.C., a leading American law firm headquartered in New Jersey ...

and red pandas. * ''Heia'' - Area including boulders and daisies. * ''KuToppen'' - Farm, opened in 2009, with regular Norwegian

farm animals Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals wh ...

, based on the Norwegian children's TV series with the same name. Some of the animals in the zoo department (Gallery): File:Panthera Leo Kristiansand Zoo 02.JPG,

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

s File:Bk antelope, Kristiansand Zoo, Norway.jpg, Antilope File:Bk giraffe, Kristiansand Zoo, Norway.jpg,

Giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...

File:Bk lemur, Kristiansand Zoo, Norway.jpg, Lemur File:Bk Bactrian Camel, Kristiansand Zoo, Norway.jpg, Bactrian camel File:Lynx lynx kristiansand dyrepark IMG 4061.JPG, Eurasian lynx File:Wolverine, Kristiansand Zoo.jpg, Wolverine

Cardemom Town

For those who know Thorbjørn Egner's story about the picturesque small town, it is very easy to recognize. The author has designed the small town as it appears. Here is the weather forecast tower, the robber's housing, police office with jail, bakery, small shops and a tram line with a singing tram driver. It is possible to sleep over in this part of the park. In the high season there are theatrical performances in Norwegian.

Captain Sabertooth World

In 1995 a

themed section of the Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park was opened. The area has a pirate village theme and contains various attractions, restaurants, and shops that are centered around the character. In the summer the park holds several shows and features, including one that allows guests to ride on Sabertooth's ship ''The Black Lady'' (in Norwegian: ''Den sorte dame'').

Attractions

* Kaptein Sabeltanns skattkammer, a small exhibition of treasures and weapons from the Captain Sabertooth stories. * Miriams forheksede hus, a haunted house attraction. * Grusomme Gabriels gang * Smokkariumet, a small room in the Captain Sabertooth castle where children that have stopped using pacifiers can place them in a coffin along with those left by others. *Sjøslag på Grashavet, a daily event where ''The Black Lady'' and the ''Countess'' will battle each other.

Restaurants

*Sjørøvergrill, a pirate themed grill restaurant located next to the Kaptein Sabeltanns skattkammer. *Piratproviant, a kiosk that serves burgers, fries, and other foods. *Pizzabakeriet, a sit-down pizza restaurant located in the Pirate Theater. *Kanelbakeriet, a bakery located within the pizza restaurant. *Hevnen er SØT, a small storefront that sells cotton candy, popcorn, and other treats.

Shops

*Havnehandelen, a port themed shop that sells Sabertooth themed merchandise. *Benjamins Bengalske Bazar, a shop that sells general pirate themed merchandise. *Kaptein Sabeltanns Sjørøvermagasin, a shop that sells costumes, hats, and swords. *Kapteinens Karibiske Marked, a shop that sells books, CDs and DVDs. *Maga Khans Marked, a shop that sells bags, hats, and other merchandise.

The pirate village

*Abra Havn, a scenic pirate village surrounded by tall walls. *Accommodation in family apartments.

Badelandet water park

This water park is affiliated with the area, but it requires a separate ticket. Here are

water slides A water slide (also referred to as a flume, or water chute) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. Some slides re ...

in many varieties both indoor and outdoor,

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

s and a separate beach. The water park is open from mid-May to mid-September.Badelandet Aqua Park in Dyreparken Kristiansand
www.visitnorway.com

References

External links

* (with limited information in English)
English version, dyreparken.no

Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park
www.visitnorway.com * {{authority control Amusement parks in Norway Companies formerly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange Tourist attractions in Kristiansand Buildings and structures in Kristiansand Zoos in Norway Tourism in Kristiansand